Skandapurana 1.3.34.8

1.3.34.8

7 brahmadevarṣikṛta śivastutiḥ, brahmādikṛtastutisantuṣṭena śivena vrahmādīnprati viṣṇuprārthanārthamājñākaraṇam, brahmādibhirviṣṇustavanam, tata ākāśavāṇyā viṣṇoḥ piṇḍībhāvena śivaliṅgadhāraṇam, tataḥ śivapriyeṇa vīrabhadreṇa brahmādibhiḥ saha śivaliṅgapūjanam, tataḥ śaṃkarasyānekairdevādibhiranekeṣu sthaleṣu nānānāmakaliṅgasthāpanam, tatratatra liṃgārcanārthaṃ vīrabhadrāṃśasthāpanaṃ vīrabhadrādārabhya liṃgapūjakaguruparaṃparotpattiḥ, nandino liṃgamahimapraśaṃsakaprathamācāryatvam, skandasya ca liṃgapūjakācāryatvam, tataśca liṃgapūjakaguruparaṃparāpravṛttiḥ, śivabhaktimāhātmyam, tatra pataṃgyāḥ kīṭapakṣiṇyāḥ śivamandiramārjanapuṇyavaśena kāśirājasutātvaprāptivṛttāntavarṇanam, uddālakamaharṣe kāśirājasutayā sundaryākhyayā saha saṃvādaḥ, ....... ... 11 2

7. Brahmā and the divine seers praised Śiva; pleased with the praise offered by Brahmā and the others, Śiva ordered Brahmā and the rest to pray to Viṣṇu; Brahmā and the others praised Viṣṇu; then, by a disembodied voice, Viṣṇu assumed the form of a pedestal (piṇḍī) to support the Śivaliṅga; then Vīrabhadra, beloved of Śiva, together with Brahmā and the others, worshipped the Śivaliṅga; thereafter, numerous gods and others installed liṅgas of various names in many places for Śaṃkara; portions of Vīrabhadra were established in each place to perform liṅga worship; the succession of gurus who worship the liṅga began from Vīrabhadra; Nandin became the first teacher to praise the greatness of the liṅga, and Skanda became a teacher who worshipped the liṅga; from this arose the lineage of teachers worshipping the liṅga; the greatness of devotion to Śiva; therein, the account of how a winged insect obtained the state of being the daughter of the king of Kāśi by virtue of the merit of sweeping a Śiva temple; the dialogue between the great sage Uddālaka and the daughter of the king of Kāśi named Sundarī; 11 2